Car coupler



" Jam,- 4, 1927.

s. LUCHKANICH 51- AL CAR COUPLER Filed Dec. 9, 1925 z-sheets-sheei l Ida gQZNfO/(S: I W V:

A TTORNEYS.

1,613115 1927' s. LUCHKA'NTICH ETAL GAR COUPLER Filed Dec. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR5'-' a loop or linkkengaged by a hook on a chain Patented in. 4, 1927.

. UNITED? STAT -.5

srarnnn nuorrxamon AND ALEXANDER Labia-Kenton, or MAYFIELD, PENN- 4 SYLVANIA,

can oournnn.

This invention relates to car couplings, and'particularly to COLIPllIIgS IfOI mine cars. In the mine equipment now in use, the cars are usually connected by chain couplings and one of the cars is provided with attached to the opposite car, although in other equipments one of the cars is provided with a stationary hook and the other car to be coupled to it has a chain with a link that is caused to-engage the stationary hook, and in some instances, the cars are coupled by chains. one of which hasanend link and the other ahook.

' In devices now in use, the coupling members are cumbersome and difiicult of m'anip ulation, and owing to their clumsy construction, they cause aecidentsfin that the hands of the operator are caught between the interengaging parts when attempts are made .to,

' anipulatethem for coupling or uncoupling the elements.

It is an object of this invention to provide novel means whereby hooks or'links may be expeditiously manipulated and provided with hand holds whereby force may heapplied for hooking or unhooking the cou-' plings.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an equipment of the kind noted whereby the couplers which are attached to chains may be suspended clear of the roadbed to prevent their dragging and catching on obstructions that might be in the path 0t travel of the coupling: and it is a still further object of this invention to provide novel means -whereby the links of the chain will assume operative positions practically regardless of thcway in which they are manipu lated during the coupling or uncoupling operation.

It is furthermore an object of'this invention to produce couplings of the character indicated which can be manufactured without .any appreciable additional cost, as compared with the-normal equipment.

.Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction. and in the arrangementand combination oi. parts to be hereinafter more fully sct forth and claimed.

In,'de'scribing the invention in detail,

bodying the invention; (:0 Figure 2 illustrates an enlarged detail view of the hook;

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of the hook on the line 3-3 of Fig. I;

- Figure 4 illustrates a plan View of a'modiv fied, equipment; 4

, Figure 5 illustrates a view in elevation of. one of the anchoring devlces showing thecoupling suspended; Figure-6 illustrates anenlarged sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Figure 7 illustrates a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4 omitting the parts of the chain connected to the link; and Figure 8 illustrates a plan view of a1fu'rther modi- 7 fication. i i

In these drawings, 10 denotes stationary anchors which are in the nature of U-bolts, each having the ends of its shanks secured to a bumper or frame member 11. The link 12 8 of a chain is secured to one of the anchoring members and the. sa d chain includes a link having a-swivel joint 13 in order that the links on one side of the joint may turn or rotate with relation to the links on the other end of the joint. Regardless of the number of links employed in the chain, the link'rev mote from the link 12 has a hook 14: mounted on it, which hook is intended to engage the anchoring member of the adjacent car when the cars are to be coupled together. The shank 15 and the bill 1610f the hook are of conventional type, but the buter surface of the hook at a location between the shank and the bill is provided withja' beveled flange 17 9 whose 'sides converge "inwardly from the outer edge and taper endwise where they -merge with the bill and shank.

The inwardly tapered sides 18 and 19 are shown in Figs. '2"and 3 and the configuration results in an enlarged or thickened outer.

edge whichincreascs the surface available to be grasped by the operator in manipulating the hook either while coupling or uncoupling the cars. By reason of the fact that the onlargemcnt o' the outer edge of the hook is present, the *mgers of an operator may exreference will be had to the acco11 1panyert greater forc wiiereas should the'cars r zing drawings forming part of this apphcaseparate white the operator is in the act oi 55 tion wherein like characters denote correcouplmg,h1s fiIlgBEQWlll not be n prof rarity 11o to the engaging surfaces of the hook and little danger through the manipulation of a coupler of this type.

In 4, a type of coupler is shown which.

- is used on some Inine cars, and in this form .tion 30 which fits in the aperture of the ofthe invention, a coupling hook '20- is stationary on acar and a link 21 is applied to oil-removed from the hook during the coupling and uncoupling operations; As in the previously described chain, the chain of this invention is preferably provided. with a swivel 2-2 and the chain is suspended from a stationary car iron 23 by a clevis 24, which clevis is mounted on a pivot 25 rotatable in the apertured head 26 of the car iron. -A r-ib 24.- connects the sides of the clevis and is inte ral in order that the clevis may be strengthenedand hejpreve nted from spreading. ihe. pivot 25 has a hook 27 on one end and the said pivot and clevis move in unison when the pivot artially rotates in the head.

Asshown in ig. 6, the eye 28 of the clevis has an aperture 29 of irregular configuration and the pivot 25 has a progecting per-- clevis, so that when'the pivot turns, the clevis oscillates" slightly. In other words, the clevis is capable of swinging to a vertical position while the hook is turning in an upright position, in which last position it will be capable of supporting the chain that is intended tocouple the cars, it

being shown in the drawing in Fig. 5 that the link 21 is applied to the book 27 and that by-this means the chain is suspended. order that the link 21 may be inanipulated expeditiously in causing it to engage or disengage the hook 20, thesides of the link are extended to form hand grasps 31 and 32, and the said hand grasps-have concave sides, as shown M33, Fig. 7.-v As v instant dangering the hands of the operator.

In Fig. 8 there is shoWna-form of couthese hand. grasps are at the sides of the a link, they can be manipulated without en pling that is used on. some mine cars in which one of the cars has a chain 34 and the other car has a chain or link such as 233 with a hook 36 to engage a link 37 of the.

Oil

chain When such equipment'is encouir terc'd, ahook forming the subject ofthis mil vention with a link such as shown in Figs.

4 and 7 may be employed to interengage for coupling the cars,'a'nd, of course, they will be disengaged when the cars are to be an coupled. By reason of the safety provision of a hand hold on the hook and on the link, an operator may grasp the hook'hy one hand and a. hand grasp of the linkwith the other hand and by manipulatingthehook and link with l'GlEllZIOIi -ilO each other may effect thei desired result.

As has been previously stated, when ordinary chain couplings are employed, care must be exercised in manipulating the hooks in order that the links of thechain will not be twisted, but through the provision of the swivel joint in the chains of this invention,

the links will assume proper positions with relation 'to each other practically regardless lated.

. Vi e claim? 1. In a car coupler, a chain having a hook,

of the way in which the chain is maniputhe said hook having a hand hold oompr1sing; a thickened outer edge and inwardly beveled sides, the hand. held bein Width toward the ends of the heve tion.

'2. In a car coupler, a chain, a hook on the saidchain, a member on a car to engage the hook, the said hook having a hand hold coined porv ta ered in prising a beveled flange at its member en.

gaging end, the said flange tapering toward the ends of the beveled portion.

8, in a car coupler, a coupling element, the said coupling element having a hand hold comprising a thickened outer edge andinwardly heyzeled es, the said beveled sides being unobstructed at their ends.

sirnennn L'UCHKANICH,

nxannnn LUCHKANICH. 

